MLB Player News

Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford hit second Thursday and reached base three times in four plate appearances in the win. Crawford had hit eighth in each of the team's first nine games.

Crawford, who is hitting .273/.368/.455 in 38 plate appearances, has reached base safely in each of the last eight games.

Brandon Crawford slugged a crucial three-run homer in the Giants' 9-6 victory Tuesday over Colorado.

Crawford went the other way off Rockies pitcher Adam Ottavino to knock the home run over the left-field fence. It was Crawford's first home run of the year but already his third extra-base hit in eight games. He's hitting .231/.286/.423.

After going hitless in his first two games, Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford has hit safely in four of his last five games. Crawford is 5 for 16 (.313) with two doubles in that five-game span.

Crawford is batting .217 (5 for 23) through seven games, but he has no home runs or RBI. He's also struck out six times and walked once.

The Cardinals have optioned infielder Ryan Jackson down to Triple-A Memphis in order to clear a spot on the roster for David Freese, according to MLB.com. He went 0 for 3 with two strikeouts in two pinch-hit appearances. 

Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada isn't regarded as an imposing presence at the plate. His defense has earned him the most praise during his brief tenure in the majors. However, that reliability in the field has come under scrutiny. He committed three errors in his first four games before recording another blunder Saturday against Miami.

Tejada, who is also hitting just .176 at the plate, made just 12 errors in 112 games last season.

"I'm not concerned about his focus," manager Terry Collins told MLB.com on Saturday. "We know he's a better player than what's going on defensively right now. If there's one guy on the field who you want the ball hit at, it's usually him."

Diamondbacks shortstop Cliff Pennington hit a walk-off single to give the Diamondbacks the win in a wild 16-inning game against the Cardinals.

Pennington went 3 for 6 with three singles during the affair. He also walked twice. Pennington has been batting eighth this season, and could see his on-base percentage increase as teams walk him to face Arizona's pitcher. He should play quite a bit, but isn't a threat to hit for power. 

Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford endured another hitless game Tuesday against the Dodgers. Crawford has started the season mired in a 0-for-7 slump.

Crawford is coming off a productive spring. He hit .375 (24 for 64) with one homer, three triples, six doubles and nine RBI in 23 spring games.

Shortstop Cliff Pennington did not have a memorable Arizona debut Monday against the Cardinals. Pennington was hitless in four at-bats, which included three strikeouts.

Pennington is now hitless in his last 10 regular-season at-bats dating back to last season, striking out five times in that span.

The number served as a reminder to Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada that he still has room to grow as a major-league hitter. It also indicated that he is being held to a higher standard as he enters his fourth season in the majors. But either outlook doesn't erase Tejada's lowly .096 batting average from the spring, a mark the team is hoping the 23-year-old can quickly improve.

"I cannot explain what happened in spring training, why he didn't swing the bat the way he's capable of," Mets manager Terry Collins told MLB.com. "Ruben and I had a number of discussions in the last two weeks, and he reassured me he will be ready, and he will be the same player that we've seen in the past during the season."

Tejada raced out to a fast start in the Mets' 11-2 season-opening win over San Diego on Monday, finishing 2 for 4 with a double and two runs scored.

Mets manager Terry Collins indicated Thursday that he's unconcerned with shortstop Ruben Tejada's poor start in spring training.

"When the bright lights are on, when there's people sitting in the second deck, what they do in those circumstances is what I look at," Collins told MLB.com.

Tejada, who didn't play in the Mets' Thursday game against the Nationals, is hitting .080/.193/.160 with four hits in 50 at-bats this spring.